Photo: Rich Fury / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
Radiohead returned to the stage for the first time in seven years on Tuesday night (Nov. 4), launching a sold-out tour opener at Madrid’s Movistar Arena. The performance marks the beginning of a 20-date run across Europe and the U.K., including a four-show residency at London’s O2 Arena, with additional stops in Bologna, Copenhagen, and Berlin through November and December.
The band last performed together in August 2018 during their U.S. tour finale in Philadelphia. Earlier this year, drummer Philip Selway said the group reunited casually in rehearsal, which led to the decision to tour again. “After seven years, it just felt natural to reconnect with what we’ve built together,” he explained.
Radiohead stepped away from touring following the conclusion of their world tour in support of A Moon Shaped Pool (2016), which became their sixth U.K. No. 1 album and earned them a headline slot at Coachella. In the years since, each member pursued separate creative paths — most notably Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, who formed The Smile and released three studio albums.
Frontman Thom Yorke has previously spoken about the emotional weight of that era, including grief following the death of his former partner, Dr. Rachel Owen, and burnout from constant touring. “We needed to stop before it pushed us over the edge,” Yorke said.
The return show in Madrid featured a 25-song setlist drawing from across the band’s catalog. They opened with “Let Down,” which recently re-entered cultural conversation after going viral and appearing on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since the band’s 2008 chart presence. While staples like “Karma Police” were included, some iconic tracks — most notably “Creep” — were left out, with the band expected to rotate selections throughout the tour.
The atmosphere in Madrid suggested a band renewed — reflective, energized, and reconnected with the identity that defined decades of influential music.
SOURCE: Billboard